Retaining walls are useful for stabilizing soil and inhibiting the soil from sliding or eroding away. Retaining wall systems generally resist the pressure from the soil that is held back. Many different retaining wall systems are available for building relatively tall retaining walls. Such systems include, for example, gravity retaining walls, reinforced concrete and reinforced soil retaining walls, soil nailing, and anchored earth walls.
Retaining wall systems that provide a generally smooth faced retaining wall structure, i.e., without the use of protruding vertical columns are desirable. One common type of gravity retaining wall system utilizes large, precast concrete blocks or units that are stacked to form a wall. The weight of the blocks of the wall is utilized to stabilize the structure and retain the soil. Such walls require extensive amounts of concrete and require large powered equipment for transportation and placement of the large and heavy concrete blocks.
Mechanically stabilized earth or reinforced soil walls are also utilized. In most examples, very large facing panels of over 500 kg in weight are utilized with extensive steel soil reinforcement. Because of the weight of the facing panels and the steel reinforcement, large powered equipment for transportation and placement of the facing panels and reinforcement is required.
As a result of the size, weight, and the required specialized equipment for transportation and placing of the components, these retaining wall systems are difficult and expensive to install.
Improvements in retaining wall systems are desirable.